I also agree that KTM talk is a great resource, but one where you need to set aside a lot of time to sift through and find what you need. :/

My notes say that I originally filled these with 800ml (not sure why as the manual says 750) of quality Shell ATF, but they did feel quite soft on the bike when moving it around the garage, tho I have to say I didnt fiddle with the adjusters at all, I should have really before I stripped em again. hmm....

So I was thinking about this when I asked on here (the only place I reckon where anyone has any experience of these forks nowadays as everyone KTM has moved to USDs sadly and lost the info on these). So, I reckon now that I would need less oil than more, as there is less overall volume in the leg chamber now with the leg shortened. So with that in mind, and the fact I have a proper fork oil tool now I will do the refil by airgap instead and try them on the OEM air gap and see if they come out too hard or soft as I can always add/remove some oil later I guess.

So, anyone know what the airgap is meant to be? My manual just says 750ml I think?

Oh and yes, background and what I am up to....

I had these forks on a brand new '99 KTM250EXC and always found them 'hard', even when on soft settings, when on trails at slow speed. When the going got faster and the riding became more spirited they came into their own. Of course that bike was a lightweight machine that was stiffly sprung.

At the same time I had the same forks on a '98 620 SC that I motarded, it was one of the first in my area back in 1999/2000 or so. That bike handled really nicely on the road but felt a bit 'long', due to the rake/trail I suspect, but the forks handled the road bumps really well and what made me want to use them all these years later on my XT500.

Ok, I decided I would go with 135mm and see what I think when its on the road. Its pretty easy to mess with these forks so Im not worried about rework, lucky as I had a few bits of fun while doing this, oil over the worksurfaces is all part of the experience er...

Interestingly I did use 750ml last time as I had 500ml left in my container (I had written that on the side), so no idea why my notes said 800, but Im now thinking someone suggested that and I wrote it down.

I think Im talking to myself, but Ive rolled the bike round the garage and the forks feel good, less diving than before under braking. I still need to ride the bike, but right now Im ok with my oil level.

Hello Airhead-Fans.
I am still waiting for a strong GS-frame from Seibersdorf since 2012.
You need patience with the old bearded boyz.
A friend already manufactured some triple clamps
for the Marzocchi Magnum 45 and 50.
But i was lucky to find an older G/S-job of the old boyz in Austria.
So waiting for my Sport with a welded lever is not that hard.

Does anyone know where I might be able to get spare parts for these things?
It appears that both rebound springs broke in my forks and on one side the little bits have chewed their way through the rod taps and all its tiny parts.
KTM spare parts places only list the entire cartridge and then it isn't available anyway...

Does anyone know where I might be able to get spare parts for these things?

I think the best bet would be to just buy a spare set of forks. I watch oz ebay (searching for used ktm forks) for them and aside from the current batch of overpriced motorbike wrecker wp50 forks and parts that are on there now ever now and again you can buy sets of WP50's for 100-250 or so which I think is a good buy.
I got a spare set off ebay for $150, and I have actually gone through them and used a fair few parts within my first set of forks as the spare set was in slightly better condition internally.
I almost bought another set for $150 a few months ago but decided against it.
I hate to say it, but little bits of spring metal going all through the forks you might be better off starting with another set of forks and using these ones as the spares

another thing if you are in a rush, outside of ebay you could contact some of those wreckers that list WP50 forks for stupid prices. They never ever seem to sell them at those prices and just constantly relist- thus I would think some of them might be willing to take a more reasonable price if you contact them directly.

You might be right I think...surely if I buy a second set I'll be able to make up one good set.
The rest of the forks seem ok, the compression side rebound spring only broke as I was pulling the spring off the rod (with my hands...so it had about 8 seconds life left). The rebound side had been banging up and down in there for a while and destroyed the shims, rod tap etc.

Not in a particular hurry...got a bit to do. Engine bits, gearbox casing, hubs and FD parts are all off at the hydroblasters. Frame etc is off getting painted.

I was just trying to get something finished on it...just one component.

Did you find a source for the fork rebuild kits? Seals, bushes, o-rings etc?

You might be right I think...surely if I buy a second set I'll be able to make up one good set.
The rest of the forks seem ok, the compression side rebound spring only broke as I was pulling the spring off the rod (with my hands...so it had about 8 seconds life left). The rebound side had been banging up and down in there for a while and destroyed the shims, rod tap etc.

Not in a particular hurry...got a bit to do. Engine bits, gearbox casing, hubs and FD parts are all off at the hydroblasters. Frame etc is off getting painted.

I was just trying to get something finished on it...just one component.

Did you find a source for the fork rebuild kits? Seals, bushes, o-rings etc?

Yeah, I suspect you got a bit unlucky with yours. As rough and used as both mine looked on the outside, they were quite OK on the inside.

For rebuild stuff,
part number R906 for the oil seals and dust wipers (and a few other little associated bits)
part number R904 is the 'full' rebuild kit, it has the above with some other bushings and a few other bits,
check the price on the R904 kit and you will see why buying a spare set of forks, which hopefully is good inside, is probably a good idea!

If you are ever in a pinch and need to borrow bits from my spare forks before you find your own spare set just shoot me a PM. I'm heading up north for a month and my G/S project is currently in deep sleep.

Any word on the final tightening sequence? I got a bad feeling after waiting a year then reading all the trouble people have had tightening them.

Excited to get the bike back on the road after a year and half!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airhead Wrangler

yeah, after a few riding/tightening cycles the play seems to be gone for good. I'm guessing the stem may not have been fully seated in the bottom triple or the bottom bearing race wasn't totally seated. I still haven't been able to work the stiction out of the system and took the bike to a suspension guy. He's saying he doesn't think it's the internals and comes down to an alignment issue of some kind. Either the axle, wheel spacers, or the triples (!).